Medicaid expansion successes

The House passed its Obamacare replacement bill. I hope the Senate does better, but unfortunately, it has already made a mistake by planning to kill expanded Medicaid. The expansion has produced some very positive results. The health of Kentucky’s poor is improving because of the specific elements of the expanded plan. According to the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, in 2016:

▪ Preventative screenings for conditions like colorectal cancer, cervical cancer, high cholesterol and diabetes through Medicaid have doubled.

▪ Regular dental check-ups have doubled. The No. 1 reason people go to hospital emergency rooms is a toothache. Diverting people to a dentist provides better treatment and preventive care, which lowers dental costs long term.